Eight Metre Class

A keelboat built to the International Rule, the formula-based measurement system the International Yacht Racing Union adopted in 1907 to group boats by a rating in metres rather than fixed dimensions. An Eight Metre rates 8 m under the formula and runs roughly 14 to 15 m on deck, so the figure is a rating, not a hull length. The class was Olympic from 1908 through 1936. Designs from William Fife and Alfred Mylne survive; the rule still governs vintage and modern Eight Metre racing internationally.